Lawyers for Luigi Mangione withdrew plans to use a psychiatric defense in his state murder trial. Pool Photo by Curtis Means/UPI | License Photo June 19 (UPI) -- Lawyers for Luigi Mangione withdrew their plan to use a psychiatric defense in his New York state trial. Mangione, 28, and his lawyers ha»»»

Dubai: In commemoration of the 18th World Oceans Day and China's 19th National Ocean Publicity Day, POWERCHINA led a mangrove planting initiative at the Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai on Monday morning. The community activity, themed "One Sapling Today, A Coastline for Millennia," was organi»»»

Cocktail 2 review: Glossy romance with Sicily sheen, but shallowDirector: Homi AdjaniaCast: Kriti Sanon, Rashmika Mandanna and Shahid Kapoor★★★Dubai: When I watched director Homi Adajania's Cocktail back in 2012, I remember walking out with mixed feelings. It was glossy, entertaining and undeniably»»»

ROME: The Italian government on Friday slammed US President Donald Trump’s claim that Premier Giorgia Meloni had “begged” for a photo with him during the recent G7 summit, a pushback that suggested the longtime US ally had had enough of Trump’s boasting. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani abru»»»

Revolut users in Hungary can now receive their salaries directly into their Revolut accounts following the official launch of the fintech giant’s Hungarian branch. According to a notification sent to customers, the Lithuanian neobank has introduced local Hungarian bank accounts and Hungarian IBANs,»»»

Germany came under fresh US trade scrutiny on Thursday as the United States launched an investigation into the country's pharmaceutical pricing policies, a move that could pave the way for new tariffs. Washington said it would examine whether Germany's pricing practices unfairly underpay for innova»»»

Israel’s military said on June 19 its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area, threatening the nascent agreement between Iran and the United States to end their war. Israel and Hezbollah are not parties to the agreement, but Ira»»»

The U.S. has "relayed" to Iran that Israel will not further escalate its attacks in Lebanon as the Trump administration seeks to get high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran back on track, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Asked whether the U.S. would provide those guarantees, the source said:»»»

Jakarta: Indonesia will suspend its free meal scheme during holiday periods, after mass protests in the capital condemned wasteful spending and demanded that the government address worsening economic conditions. The multi-billion-dollar feeding programme is one of President Prabowo Subianto's signa»»»

Dubai: The UK’s decision to ease its travel advice for the UAE is expected to give a boost to tourism bookings, business visits and investor confidence, several industry representatives, including travel agents and business leaders, told Gulf News. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques»»»

BELGRADE - As part of a preliminary investigation into the death of a female student identified as M Z and the circumstances of a March 26 ignition of pyrotechnic devices inside the building of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, as well as into potential omissions regarding the safety of studen»»»

In today's edition: Leaders from Africa and the Caribbean meet in Ghana for a landmark conference on reparatory justice. Also, Taiwan has accused Kenya of bowing to Chinese pressure to sideline Taiwanese officials who were meant to take part in an international oceans forum that wrapped up in »»»

June 18 (UPI) -- A London Underground station once plagued by constant flooding is now staying dry thanks to some recent arrivals in the neighborhood: beavers. The Greenford subway station and surrounding streets in the Ealing borough of London used to experience regular flooding during rainstorms,»»»

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Guinness World Records (@guinnessworldrecords) June 18 (UPI) -- An Australian man teamed up with cyclists in Britain to break the Guinness World Records for the largest and smallest penny farthings. Dan Bolwell brought his creations to the June 13 City o»»»

MAKKAH: When Taif claimed the top spot among Saudi Arabia’s apricot-producing regions it was no statistical fluke — it was the payoff of a long apprenticeship; generations of farming knowledge passed down, paired with an unusual fit between what the land offers and what its people are willing to pu»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Finance shared its latest advisory on the UAE Retail T-Sukuk with Gulf News, providing details on who can invest, how to apply, subscription dates, minimum investment amounts and what happens after purchase. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Th»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Friday excellent relations with all key international actors in both the West and the East represented Serbia's greatest diplomatic know-how and that, in that regard, President Aleksandar Vucic stood out among other heads of state. "That is what many will »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has a feeling that the United States may change its approach to the settlement in Ukraine again, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday. "We have no concerns. We have a feeling that there may be a change of approach again, as happened after the meeting in An»»»

Labour's Andy Burnham won the Makerfield parliamentary by-election on Friday, defeating Reform UK candidate Rob Kenyon and returning to Westminster after years as Manchester mayor. The victory strengthens Burnham's position as a potential successor to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as speculation gro»»»

Ottawa is expected to select a preferred bidder within 30 days for a submarine program that could be worth up to $40 billion Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (C), accompanied by South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (R) and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan during their visit to Hanwha»»»

Andy Burnham, the new Labour Member of Parliament for Makerfield surrounded by supporters on Friday as he celebrates winning the seat in Greater Manchester. Burnham, who has served as the region's mayor since 2017, beat Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon by more than 9,000 votes. Photo by Adam Vaugh»»»

Dubai: The UAE is the world's most prepared and mature country in adopting artificial intelligence, Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Agentic AI Project Executive Committee, said as the government accelerates plans to embed AI across public services and operations»»»

This is the sun’s time to shine: Sunday is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Sunday is the solstice, marking the start of astronomical summer north of the equator. It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and winter will start. The»»»

Parliament divisions deepened over Bulgaria’s stance on the latest EU sanctions package against Russia, as the debate over the possible inclusion of Russian Patriarch Kirill moved beyond religion and into questions of national interest and geopolitical alignment. Opposition party GERB criticized th»»»

The Macedonia Foundation has announced that it is withdrawing its planned temporary blockade of border crossings between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, scheduled for Sunday. The decision comes after official reactions from Bulgarian institutions and diplomatic concerns linked to rece»»»

In the village of Bosteri, Issyk-Kul region, employees of the State Tax Service detected a large batch of tobacco products without excise stamps. During a raid carried out jointly with representatives of Uchkun OJSC, 3,751 packs of cigarettes were seized from illegal circulation. The cost of the di»»»

Alisher Mukazhan, Chairman of the Information Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, spoke at the SCO Media Forum about the transformation of the media market, cooperation with major online platforms, and plans for the further development of the digital »»»

Hezbollah’s Islamic Resistance vowed on Friday to remain fully mobilized to confront any Israeli aggression, echoing a statement by late Secretary General Martyr Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah when he said: “And between us and you there is a battlefield, and [many] days and nights.” In a statement the Oper»»»

JEDDAH: Late-night and early-morning 2026 World Cup broadcasts are severely disrupting football fans’ routines and habits in Saudi Arabia, with matches from the US, Mexico and Canada airing as late as 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. To cope with this, enthusiasts are adjusting their sleep schedules, taking naps, »»»

Russia's war economy is under increasing strain, but construction of the Navy's advanced nuclear-powered submarines continues unabated. The keel-laying ceremony took place at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk on 17 June, according to a statement published by the yard on VKontakte. Commander-in-C»»»

Toyota Motor Corporation (TYO:7203; NYSE:TM) has entered Kenya's fully electric vehicle market with the launch of the bZ4X sport utility vehicle, marking the Japanese automaker's first battery electric offering in the country and signalling growing confidence in East Africa's emerging EV sector. Th»»»

Eastern Africa is set to deepen cross-border power flows and accelerate decarbonisation after the World Bank Group approved a $1.6bn financing package for a new 10-year programme to integrate power markets and expand access to reliable electricity across the region. The Regional Energy Transmission»»»

Public support for European Union membership remains robust across much of the EU’s eastern neighbourhood, with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova showing particularly high levels of trust and optimism, according to a series of 2026 surveys released under the EUNEIGHBOURS East programme. The annual polls»»»

Public support for European Union membership remains robust across much of the EU’s eastern neighbourhood, with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova showing particularly high levels of trust and optimism, according to a series of 2026 surveys released under the EUNEIGHBOURS East programme. The annual polls»»»

Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov Friday said that the United States had requested that its military aircraft stationed at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport remain there until July 30, but after an assessment, it was decided to allow them to stay only until June 30. Stoyanov spoke during Question Time in »»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the St. Petersburg State University of Economics. The award ceremony took place during his working visit to Russia. Following the ceremony, Kasymaliev delivered a guest lecture on Kyrgyzs»»»

Dubai: flydubai has been named the “Airline with the Best Connectivity in the Middle East” for the third time at the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2026. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Dubai-based airline received the award at the 25th edition of the event,»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received US economist Jeffrey Sachs on Friday to discuss Serbia's economic prospects, and noted that Serbia had a historic chance to become a part of a common EU market. Sachs is in Belgrade for a forum hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of »»»

The European Commission has given a positive preliminary assessment of Bulgaria's fourth request for funding under the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility, finding that the country has successfully completed most of the reforms and investments tied to the payment. The request, submitted in April,»»»

Private donations to participants in Bulgaria's April 19, 2026 parliamentary elections nearly doubled compared with the previous parliamentary vote in October 2024, while the number of individual donations more than tripled, according to data released by the National Audit Office as it launched an »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine finds itself in a difficult position, with the situation on the frontline expected to become completely catastrophic soon, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. "The Kiev regime is in a very difficult position. The situation on the fronts will soon become comple»»»

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Media Forum held in Kyrgyzstan, Tajik Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Nazirmad Alizoda emphasized the importance of developing cooperation between SCO member states in the fields of media, digital technologies, and information security. At the beginn»»»

Jio Platforms, the telecom and digital arm of Reliance Industries, has announced one of India’s most closely watched public market events, with analysts describing it as a potential landmark share sale. The company’s board has approved the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) for its initial public »»»

BELGRADE - As part of a preliminary investigation into the death of a female student identified as M Z and the circumstances of a March 26 ignition of pyrotechnic devices inside the building of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, as well as into potential omissions regarding the safety of studen»»»

Just days after US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a landmark agreement aimed at ending months of war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the deal is facing its first major test. Negotiations that were supposed to begin in Switzerland have been postponed. Fight»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia would prefer to achieve its special military operation's goals through diplomacy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. "Russia would prefer to achieve the goals of the special military operation through diplomacy. That requires reliably guaranteeing security along »»»

Marseille, June 18, 2026 (TAP / Lasaad Mahmoudi) – The Tunisian Customs Administration has deployed officers aboard the ferries Tanit and Carthage to assist Tunisian expatriates in completing online procedures for obtaining vehicle circulation...»»»

DAMASCUS: Syria’s wheat production is expected to ​more than double this year, authorities said, bolstered by heavier rains and the state’s recapture of a northeastern breadbasket region from Kurdish forces — but demand has grown in parallel. The agriculture ministry estimates a harvest between 2.3»»»

Abu Dhabi: Private schools in Abu Dhabi will not be permitted to prevent students from sitting examinations because of unpaid or overdue tuition fees, under regulations reaffirmed by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK). ADEK said schools must follow a defined set of procedure»»»

The Macedonia Foundation will map the alleged Bulgarian business interests of North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and his circle of oligarchs, the foundation’s President Viktor Stoyanov said in Sofia on Friday. Stoyanov was speaking at a news conference at the BTA National Press Club »»»